Lawrence Biondi, S.J.

Society of Jesus

The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...

, is the president

Presidents of Saint Louis University

The President of Saint Louis University is the chief executive officer of Saint Louis University.Lawrence Biondi is the current President of Saint Louis University and has been president since 1987. He is Saint Louis University’s 31st president.-Former Presidents:...

 of Saint Louis University

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...

. He has been a professor, a department chair, and a dean. He has been president since 1987.

During his tenure, Biondi has focused on recruiting the faculty and students, increasing the University's academic reputation, and developing the University as a major research center.

Biography

A Chicago native, Biondi graduated from St. Ignatius College Preparatory School. Before joining the Jesuit order's Chicago Province in 1973, Biondi taught French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 and Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, from 1965 to 1967.

Biondi holds six degrees. His master's degree in linguistics

Linguistics

Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....

 (1966) and his doctorate in sociolinguistics

Sociolinguistics

Sociolinguistics is the descriptive study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the way language is used, and the effects of language use on society...

 (1975) both were conferred by Georgetown University

Georgetown University

Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...

. He has three degrees from Loyola University Chicago

Loyola University Chicago

Loyola University Chicago is a private Jesuit research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1870 under the title St...

 and a licentiate in sacred theology from the Jesuit School of Theology at Chicago, and he has been dubbed a Knight of the Italian Order of Merit by the president of Italy. In 1999, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch named Biondi one of St. Louis' "Citizens of the Century." In 1999, he won the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Arthritis Foundation, Eastern Missouri Chapter. In 2001, The St. Louis Ambassadors honored Biondi with the Leon R. Strauss Urban Pioneer Award, which is given to an individual in the St. Louis community who has contributed greatly to the development, restoration or improvement of St. Louis. The Council for Advancement and Support of Educational also recognized Biondi in 2001 with the Chief Executive Leadership Award for CASE District 6.

Since Biondi has become an administrator, the University has spent millions beautifying the campus including tens of thousands of dollars on statues, which now dot the campus. There has been controversy over the university spending money on nude statues and statues that depict a white priest standing over a group bowing Native Americans.

In 2005, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major city-wide newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri. Although written to serve Greater St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is one of the largest newspapers in the Midwestern United States, and is available and read as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, as far south as...

named Father Biondi the Citizen of the Year.

Fr. Biondi was trapped in Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

 during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon Conflict

2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War #Other uses|Tammūz]]) and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War , was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon, northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. The principal parties were Hezbollah...

. He was removed from the conflict after boarding a Greek-owned, American funded vessel to Cyprus with other Americans "stranded" in Lebanon. He was able to return to St. Louis safely. Another priest from St. Louis, Reverend Andre Mhanna, who accompanied Biondi to Beirut, stayed behind to minister to the wounded.

Tenure at Saint Louis University

In 2007, Fr. Biondi marked his 20th year as President of SLU, the second longest run of any of SLU's presidents. His time at SLU now at 22 years in 2009, has witnessed improvements across the board.

	1987	2009
Average ACT score of entering freshmen	22.7	27.0
Student-to-teacher ratio	16 to 1	12 to 1
Endowed chairs and professorships	16	57
Full-time ranked faculty	718	1297 (?)
Number of freshmen	1,077	1,604 (?)
Residence hall occupancy	1,992	3,446 (?)
Annual Donations to SLU	$15.6 million	$66 million (?)
Grant, contract and research revenue	$8.96 million	$63.4 million
University endowment	$93 million	$880 million
Net assets	$504.3 million	$1.4 billion (?)
Annual Full scholarships awarded	0	30 (?)
Faculty/Staff mission-related programs	0	24
Doctorates awarded	94	166

The campus itself has expanded significantly in his twenty years as well.

	1987	2009
SLU-owned Buildings	62	127
SLU-owned acres in Midtown St. Louis	113	235
SLU public safety officers	53	103

Among the largest expansions are the Chaifetz Arena and the Doisy Research Center.

In a recent interview, upon being asked what he hoped his legacy at SLU would be, Biondi responded, "That I leave my successor with a university that is recognized across the nation as the finest Catholic university in the United States. That is my vision for SLU and, I hope, my legacy."

Criticism

Biondi has received criticism from members of Saint Louis University's student body for many decisions related to student organizations, housing, and a lack of accessibility and accountability. Controversies have arisen around such decisions as banning the Vagina Monologues from campus , as well as restricting many other student organization events and activities. He has also been criticized for his handling of bias incidents and diversity concerns , as well as issues related to sexual assault , on campus.

A fake Twitter account in Biondi's name (@FatherBiondi) produced a series of satirical tweets in the beginning of September 2011. It disappeared after SLU administrators suggested they had reported the account to Twitter. The account reappeared as @FakerBiondi a few days later.

External links

• Saint Louis University Web Site